The Art of Self-Motivation
Posted December 2, 2008 in Inspiration, Productivity 26 Comments »
Motivation is one of the most important traits a business owner can have. We are constantly called upon to set our own work schedules, create our own goals, and stick to deadlines. Without motivation none of this would work.
But to be very successful you need more than just casual motivation — you need to be able to motivate yourself on your schedule. A self-motivated person can focus better, be more creative, accomplish bigger goals, and many other things. People who are really self-motivated produce the quality of work that only a passionate individual can, and they do it whenever they need.
So how do you motivate yourself? How can you be the type of person who is excited about work, goals, and other projects?
Here is a simple process that will help you master the art of self-motivation:
Know Your Goals
The first step in becoming self-motivated is to know what you want to be motivated about. It’s impossible to motivate yourself for some undefined thing. You need to have a clear goal.
Your goal also has to be something exciting. Imagine yourself having completed whatever it is — what does it look like? Is it something you really want? Is it something you need? If your goal doesn’t excite you, then it probably isn’t worth doing (and you probably won’t be motivated by it).
Once you have a concrete goal that isn’t vague or wishy-washy, then you’re ready to move on to the next step.
Find Your Path
Having an exciting goal is one thing — but actually making it happen is another entirely. If you don’t have any clue how you’ll actually accomplish that goal, then chances are your motivation will go right out the window.
In order to be motivated you need to define a clear and actionable path to your goal. It doesn’t need to have every step from start to finish, but it should have the overall plan laid out. Once you have the broad plan outline you can define the next immediate steps in much more detail. Then all you have to do is continue this process of detailing your next steps as you get progressively closer to your goal.
Knowing you have a solid plan to reach your goals will do wonderful things for your motivation and your productivity.
Imagine the Rewards
So far we’ve talked about finding a concrete goal and about creating a plan to accomplish that goal. We’ve also mentioned a little bit about the goal being an exciting one, but now it’s time to really get excited.
Imagine what would happen if you accomplished your goal. How would things change, how would things be better?
The better you can imagine these rewards, the more you can feel it in every part of your body, the more motivated you will become.
Believe in Yourself
None of this visualization or imagination will do any good if you don’t believe in yourself. Many of us have goals that we’re really excited about — goals that have rewards so big we’d give almost anything to get there. But sometimes it feels like those goals are just fantasies that won’t ever happen, and that’s when every ounce of motivation disappears.
If you want to stay motivated then you have to believe in yourself. You need to believe that you can accomplish your goals, that you can complete the plan.
Easier said than done, right? Well take solace in this simple equation: if you don’t give up, and you keep improving, then you will eventually make it there no matter what.
Track Your Progress
The last piece of the puzzle is to measure, track, and celebrate every step towards your goal. There is nothing more motivating than watching yourself make real progress towards something you want, even if that progress is slow or difficult.
Tracking your progress will also help you believe in yourself, which will increase your motivation levels enormously. It’s hard to say something can’t happen when you can literally watch things falling into place.
And if progress seems slow, or even stopped, then try tracking the different things you’ve learned. Learning and improvement are legitimate steps on the path towards any goal, and you can’t discount them.
Putting It All Together
To become a master of self motivation you’ll need to combine all 5 of these steps, and probably revisit each of them on a regular basis. If you can do that, you might find yourself with more motivation than you knew you had.
So what are your thoughts? Do you follow these steps? Do you have any tips to add?
About the author: Mason Hipp is an entrepreneur, marketing guru, and writer. He blogs about life and business at FreelanceFolder.com and is co-author of the Book The Unlimited Freelancer. Follow him on twitter @MasonHipp
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26 Comments
Zoe
December 2nd, 2008 at 1:56 pmExcellent points. When I was starting out, I found my big goal (becoming a freelance writer) just too scary and huge to focus on. It helped me to break it down into little, more manageable goals – that way I could start toward my big goal without freaking out. And just knowing that what I was doing each day was achievable, was motivation in itself.
giovanna garcia
December 2nd, 2008 at 2:50 pmGreat Post! You are spot on. Thank You.
Chris Ritke
December 2nd, 2008 at 3:02 pmThis probably falls under the category ‘Believe in Yourself’: to envision and anticipate the dip (as Seth Godin says!) before you start. It’s the hard slog that will most probably hit at some point. Because when it comes, you’ll know. And knowing this beforehand will help you to find the motivation you’ll need to get through it and persevere.
Leila Wylie
December 2nd, 2008 at 3:32 pmUgh, this post is well timed! I’m my own worst enemy when it comes to motivation. I’m very, very externally motivated and not internally motivated. Need accountability in order to get anything done! But I’m working on retooling my business, so am making goals and plans and am feeling good about it!
Mason Hipp
December 2nd, 2008 at 3:54 pm@Zoe — I’m definitely in the same boat. I tend to pick goals that are so big I can easily get distracted and lazy. Breaking it up into manageable pieces works wonders.
@Chris — The dip is a good little book, and I definitely recommend reading it to anyone who hasn’t.
@Leila — Anyone who claims to be 100% internally motivated probably isn’t human, so consider yourself in good company. It’s okay to be externally motivated, the trick is to learn to control all of the external factors ;-)
QuietRebelWriter
December 2nd, 2008 at 5:04 pmGood points, all. I think my problem with motivation is something Dave Navarro pointed out – procrastination (and lack of motivation) comes from fear. It’s about fearing you’re going to eff stuff up, fail miserably at what you’re aiming for, and generally prove all those bastard bullies right. When you recognize that, and clearly know what you’re working towards and why, that’s a big step in the right direction.
Rhonda Michelle Steward
December 2nd, 2008 at 8:08 pmFeeling it as much as possible is huge. To actually put yourself into the place of feeling the victory of a goal can really propel you forward.
Mason, nice point also about tracking & celebrating your progress. It’s so easy to forget that and just move straight to the next step/goal. I’ve started a “learnings” file on my calendar that I summarize what I learned that day and I add to it as the day progresses and/or when I have an “a-ha” when something gels. Super quick & easy – just a bulleted list. But you’re right, when you can look back at how much you’ve learned over a period time it’s very gratifying and motivating.
Thanks for a great and very useful post! :)
James Chartrand - Men with Pens
December 2nd, 2008 at 8:28 pmExcellent stuff. Love this post.
I’ll add Revisit to your list.
Revisit your goals periodically to make sure that you still want them and they’re still desirable – it’s incredible what can become not so important after a few weeks pass by.
Then revisit where you are – and do this more frequently. Ask yourself, “Is this helping me reach my goal? If so, how? Will it get me there better or faster than another option?” If it’s all good, full steam ahead. If it’s not turning out as helpful as expected, ditch it and find a new method.
Because you have a goal to reach. :)
Mason Hipp
December 2nd, 2008 at 10:27 pm@Rhonda — The “learnings” file is a great idea. I might have to start one of those myself…
@James — That’s a good point. You could probably just add “rinse and repeat” to the whole process. Revisiting goals, re-plotting your course, etc… I think going through all of it regularly is key in order to make consistent progress.
Thanks for all of the great comments everyone!
Debbie
December 3rd, 2008 at 12:03 amWow – what good timing.
Lately I am so slammed with work, it’s hard to stay motivated. I’m glad I’m self-sustaining, but it may be too much of a good thing. At the end of the day I often seem to have more tasks left to do than I started with.
This morning I escaped for an hour and took my digital SLR to a nearby prairie park, and just walked around and took pictures. It was beautiful weather today and it really helped me focus on just what I was doing at the moment rather than overthinking everything that’s going on with clients and projects. I think getting away from the pressure is critical, especially when there’s so much of it!
matt
December 3rd, 2008 at 5:49 amWe’re on the same page, but I love the notion of visualising the feelings associated with success. Engaging all the senses has to help manifest the goal. Thanks for an interesting post.
Klaus
December 3rd, 2008 at 10:04 amThanks for the great article! “Know your goals” and “Track your progress” are really essential building blocks. There is a free tool (DAISHO) out there which could help you doing exactly that: managing your goals, and follow up in the actions to reach them. Have a look at http://www.daisho-blacksmith.com
outlawcoach
December 3rd, 2008 at 2:27 pmI would turn reorder two of your points –
Finding your path should come first; maybe even creating your path, or discovering it. Your path is the one you create yourself, no one else has ever been down it and you will keep on this path even though at times the going gets rough. Once you have discovered that, goals are easy and make themselves.
Keith Johnson
December 5th, 2008 at 1:22 pmYes, motivation is 50% of getting the job done and moving toward success.
Thanks for sharing.
Andrew Slominski
December 5th, 2008 at 9:38 pmI have an easier time achieving goals when they are my own. If it’s something I’m really passionate about there’s really no problem. If it’s writing this paper instead of wandering the internet, then I’m in trouble!
Thanks for ideas.
Mr Javo
December 5th, 2008 at 10:43 pmHey Mason great article! I think the most important thing is to believe in yourself and don’t let other people to discourage you. Many times we share our goals with other persons and they tell us something like “no way! that’s impossible, you won’t ever achieve that…” That kind of things are told by people with a closed mind.
So, sometimes it’s better to keep our goals in secret, this way we won’t get negative energies from other persons…
Heidi
December 10th, 2008 at 7:42 pmGreat Post! Thanks for sharing the knowledge…
Synergy Informatics
January 2nd, 2009 at 7:05 amHi,
Your tips are really wonderful…
Thanks for such a good tips to stay motivated all the times….
Regards
Krunal
Synergy Informatics
Success Coach
February 11th, 2009 at 9:55 pmGreat words Mason. So true and so important for anyone (entrepreneur or not).
What I would add with regards to motivation is this… When your back is against the wall and everything is riding on the success of your business, you will very likely be able to stay motivated no matter what the situation is.
BURN YOUR SHIPS mentality!!
I have personally pushed myself through more fear, worry, procrastination and frustration than I could have imagined ever since I became a full time entrepreneur. Motivation is simply part of who I am now!
Justin Popovic
Sales Management Strategy
February 17th, 2009 at 8:25 amThe tips you provided were simply superb. ‘
A great need for a Sales Person is Self-Motivation. And your article provides it. Thanks for such a great post.
Yeni Rosdiyani
July 17th, 2009 at 11:45 amGreat Post!
The truth is, whether you know it or not, your thoughts are responsible for whatever place or situation you are in right now because any self-improvement program or journey of personal development starts with your thoughts. Master your thoughts first. Then you can master your environment and circumstances.
-Yeni
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